Method of making artificial eyes for dolls



July 15, 1930. J. GRUBMAN METHOD OF MAKING ARTIFICIAL EYES FOR DOLLS Filed Feb. 24, 1927 INVENTOR Patented my 15, 1930 .LEO'J'. GRUBMAN', or rnrtnnsniaonjnnwxonx.

mnon QFLMAKING .aRirIFIoIAL EYES roanorns l Application filed; February 24,1927. seiia1"1o. .17o,447..

This invention relates to artificial eyes .for' dolls and the method of making the same, and has-for its primary object to materially simplify'such articles and also reduce to a mini-j mum the number of manufacturing operations to be'p'erformed so that-the quantity production of artificial'eyes' as used in dolls and other similar figures inay be expedited witha corresponding reduction in manufaca pleted artificial eye, and] r l0 turing cost. a 1

The improved artificial eye constituting the subject matter'of this application consists essentially in asemi-spherioal shell or eye member of thermo-pla'stic material which is provided upon" its outer surface with the representation of the human eye pupil,jand

eyelash strands each coated with a thermoplastic material and havingone of their ends embedded in the outers'urfaceof the eye shell in appropriate relation to'thepupil, and thethermo-plastic material on; said strands and the material of the eye shell wall 'being'homogeneously united so that the strand ends are practically incorporated in the structure, of the shell wall'and effectively held againstseparation therefrom.

It is an important object of my present di s closure to provide a simple method which may be carried out with great rapidity for thus attaching the eyelash strands to the wall of the eye shell. a r v v 1 It is another important feature'of this new method as the final stepthereof to apply a thin coating of paint or coloring solution to the outer surface of the eye shell to represent the upper eyelid, said coating extending over the attached ends of the eyelash strands and thus wholly concealing the "same.

With the'above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved artificial eye and method of making the same "as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing, wherein I have disclosed one simple and practical embodiment of my new artificial eye and an example of apparatus for attaching the eyelashes thereto, and in which similar reference characters design 6 are centrally provided with threaded opennate corresponding parts throughout the several'views,--

I Figure 1 is'a side elevation of the apparatus with partsthereof in section; j Fig1' 2 is a sectional .view taken substantially on-the. line 22 of Fig. 1.; s

F is a 'horizontal sectionalviewtaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

. Fig. 4 is a. detail sectionalviewof the comiFig.-5 is a detail rear elevationof the eye member partlyin section. r

In the drawing I have-disclosed a typical example of a simple form of apparatusfor carrying out my n'ew method of'securing the o ends ofithe eyelash strands in attachedirela tion to'the wall 'ofthe eye shell, but it will be understood that the showing is merely suggestive as the essential features of the method I might likewise be practically utilized with other forms of apparatus. As shown, the apparatus includes a suitable base member 5 preferably in the form of a heavymetal-casting. This member is provided within its upper central part and extending throughout the length thereof witha concavesurface 6.. A block 7 having a correspondingly convex bot,- tom surface is adapted to be arranged upon the concave surface 6, said block being pro-' videdat opposite sides thereof withlaterally projecting flanges 8 which are curved in concentricrelation to the surface 6 and are each provided with a slot ,9 extending in parallel relationto said surface. The ends of the base ings 10 to receive the clamping screws 11 posi tioned through thelslots 9, said screws having heads'provided with convex lower surfaces seating upon'thebevelled or. chamfered edges of the slots 9; F The purpose of this means per- -mitting of the adjustment of theblock 7 relative to the base parent. g

' The block '7 r 5 will hereinafter become apis also further providedfcem trally-thereof with a vertically extending opening 12t'o receive the screw 13, the upperend' of-said opening being reduced in I diameter to provide an internal shoulder against which the head of the screw '13 seats. This screw is adapted to be threaded into a central socket or recess provided in a semispherical anvil member 14. The lower face of this member 14 is provided'with a diametrically extending slot or groove 15 therein, one end of which is adapted to receive an upstanding rib or key lug 16 formed on the block 7 whereby said member 14 will be fixedly held against turning movement.

A vertically movable pressure applying head or hammer 18 is'adapted to be actuated by a foot treadle or any other suitable means and carries an electrical heating unit of any preferred type as indicated at 19'whereby said head 18 may be heated to a predetermined temperature. One side of the head 18 is cut away or recessed as indicated at 20 and the lower face of said head is also provided with a cavity 21 therein which is adapted to receive the upper portion of the semi-spherical eye shellmember 22 arranged upon the anvil 14. This eye member which is drawn from a sheet of celluloid or other thermo-plastic material is provided on its outer surfaceat a pointin predetermined relation to the edge of said shell at the open end thereof with a representation of the pupil of the human eye as indicated at 23. The edge of the eye shell is provided with agrectangular notch or recess 24 located in a plane intersecting the central axis of the eye shell and the center of the pupil 28. This recess receives the key lug 16 on the block 7, thereby preventing 'rotativc movement of the shell relative to the anvil 1 1-. and positively fixing the relation between the center of the eye pupil 23 and the axial center line of the movable presser member 18.

' A guide table or bed plate 25 is arranged with one edge thereof opposed to the recessed side 20 of the presser member 18 and the up per surface of said table is positionedin plane which is slightly abovethe eye shell 22. Over the surface of .this'table a plurality of eyelash forming strands indicated at. S are adapted to be simultaneously moved by a suitably mounted feed roller 26. These strands S preferably consist of silk threads impregnat ed or coated with a thermo-plastic material such as shellac or cellulose which renders the strands somewhat stiff or rigid. These coated strands are adapted to be projected beyond the edge of the table 25 by the operation of the roller 26 until their ends rest upon the sur-' face of the eye shell 22 at the approximate center thereof and above the eye pupil 23. lVith the strands thus positioned in closely spaced relation to each other upon the surface of the eye shell, the member 18 is brought downwardly upon the strand ends, and under the pressure thereby created andthe heat transmitted through said member from the heating unit 19, the coating solution on the strand ends and the part of the wall of the eye shell 22 with which they are engaged are re duced to a semi-plastic state so that the coating solution on the strands homogeneously unites with the material of the eye shell wall and the strand ends are embedded in and incorporated with the wall structure of the eyeshell. Approximately at the same time that the member18 exerts the holding pressure on the strand ends, a vertically movable knife blade indicated at 27 cooperating with the edge of the table 25 cuts ed the strands S to definite length. It will be noted from reference to Fig. 2 that the concave surface 21 of "the member 18 in the direction of the long axis of the eye pupil 23 is substantially concentric with the outer surface of the eye shell wall so that said member will exert a uniform bearing pressure upon the spaced ends ofthe strands. In the other direction, lengthwise of the strands, the said curved surface 21 is slightly eccentric with respect to the outer surface ofthe eye shell so that there is hearing contactwof the member18 upon the shell wall approximately only over that area thereof upon which the strand ends are engaged, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. This permits of the expansion of the shell wall and obviates possible distortion thereof. 7

After the strand ends have been embedded in the wall structure of the eye shell as has been explained, the member 18 is lifted and the eye shell with the lashes attached thereto removed from the anvil ll. There is now applied to the section of the outer surface of the eye shell above the pupil 23 a painter coloring solution indicated at 28 which is exceedingly thin. This coloring solution simulates theupper eyelid and extends over the attached or embedded ends of the eyelash strands so as to completely conceal said strand ends. In the drawings, for the sake of clarity, the thickness of the wall of the eye shell 22 has been greatly exaggerated and also in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the thickness of the coating of paint or coloring solution 28is likewise much exaggerated. In fact, to the eye of the observer, any variation in the elevation of the external surface of the eye shell wall at the opposite sides of the attached ends of the eyelashes is not discernible, and the coating paint 28 has no effect in so far as the free oscillation of the eye member in the'internal socketof the doll head wall is concerned. 7

It will be noted that the apparatus above described permits of the attachment or application of the eyelash strands to eyeshells of various sizes, it-being only necessary toremove the block 7 and then detach the anvil 1 1 and apply an anvil of a different size thereto. The block 7 is then again attached to the base 5 by the screws 11 and said block properly adjusted relative to said base as may be required in order to position the eye shell so that the lash strands will engage at the proper point on the surface of the shell wall relative to the pupil 23 for the application of obtain a neater appearance of the completed of this method requires no great amount of skill on the part of the workman, and may bevery rapidly performed with the assur-.

ance of a very accurate relationship between the attached lashes and the pupil 23 on the surface of the eye shell so that the completed article when operatively mounted inthe head of a doll or other figure will realistically simulate the human eye. It will further be appreciated that my new method of attaching the eyelashes practically results in the p'hysi cal union or incorporation ofthe eyelash.

strands with the material of the eye shell wall instead of a mere adhesive holding of "the strand ends upon the shell wall as heretofore employed in this art. 7 In other words, the eyelash forming strands appear to emerge directly from'the structure of the eye itself at r the lower edge of'the'upper eyelid, and without necessitating the application of an overlying covering sheet of celluloid or a relatively thick coating of coloring solution in order to render the attached ends of the strands invisible. Thus, with greater rapidity in production, andeconomy in manufacture, I

' article.

While I have herein shown and described a simple and practical embodiment of my present improvements, it will nevertheless be understood that the essential features thereof are susceptible of embodiment in variouswhich consists in positioning the ends of a.

other alternative forms, and I accordingly reporatethe same inj'the wall structure of the shell, and then applying a coloring solution to the outer surface of the shell wall and upon the attached ends of the eyelash strands.

3. The method of making artificial eyes which consists in impregnating eyelash form ing strands with a thermo-plastic solution,

then positioning the ends of a plurality of such strands upon the surface of an eye shell wall of thermoplastic material, and subjecting the ends of thestrands to the simultane- I one application of heat and pressure'to embed the strand ends in the structure ofthe shell Wall and homogeneously unite the thermoplastic solution on the strands with the thermo-plastic.structure ofthe shell wall.

4. The method of making artificial eyes which consists in impregnating eyelash forming strandswith a thermo-plasticsolution," then positioning the ends of a plurality'of such strands upon the outer convex surface ofan eye shell wall of thermo-plastic material, subjecting the ends of the strands to the simultaneous application of heat and pres- I sure to'embed the strand ends in the structure of, the shell wall and homogeneously unite the thermo-plastic solution on the strands with the 'thermo-plastic structure of the shell wall',and then applying a coloring solution to the outer surface of the eye shell and over the attached ends of the eyelash forming strands to render the latter invisible,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

LEO J. GRUBMAN.

serve the privilege of resorting to'all such legitimate changes therein as'may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. The method of making artificial eyes which consists inopositioning the ends of a plurality of eyelash forming strands upon I.

the outer surface of an imperforate eye shell -wall of thermo-plastic material, and then applying pressure directly to said strand ends:

and simultaneously heating the shell wall at the point of application of such pressure to embed the strand ends and permanently incorporate the same in the wall structure of the shell and wholly within the plane of its outer surface.

2. The method of making artificial eyes I plurality of eyelash forming strands upon the outer surface of an imperforateeye' shell wall pressure directly to said strand ends and simultaneously heating the shell wall at the point of application of such pressure to embed the strand ends and permanently incoroof thermo-plastic material, then applying 

